


Crashing

by Pendulumwriter



Category: Halt and Catch Fire
Genre: Speculation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-04
Updated: 2015-07-04
Packaged: 2018-04-07 15:54:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4269270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pendulumwriter/pseuds/Pendulumwriter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Halt and Catch Fire fanfic, set after season 2 episode 4 and the preview for season 2 episode 5. What happens when Donna tells Cameron about Gordon’s deal?</p>
<p>Jameron discussed, rated G I guess?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Crashing

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this before episode 5 came out.

“Cameron, listen to me-“

“No, Donna, I’ve already heard enough.”

Donna sighed, rushing to keep pace with the younger woman as she went through the house, picking up stray items the former Mutiny employees had left behind and dumping them into a laundry basket.

“I know you’re upset –“

“Upset?” Cameron stopped in the doorway to the kitchen, turning on Donna. “Why would I be upset? Your husband is paying for us to stay afloat on someone else’s network, what’s there to be upset about?”

“Cameron…”

“Oh, there is the little hitch that the person who’s profiting on all of this is Joe.”

“I didn’t know that, Cameron.”

“But Gordon did. What, rubbing elbows with him at your little dinner party wasn’t enough?”

“He’s trying to help.”

“Hasn’t he done that enough?” She asked, starting back off again into the kitchen, slamming the basket down and going to the cupboard to root around for a cup. “I mean, wasn’t Sonaris just his ‘trying to help?’”

“Nobody could have known it’d crash the server.”

“Yeah, well, great job on at least telling me first. Oh, wait.” She set the mug onto the counter, pouring herself coffee and taking a large swig of it. “And now you both want me to meet up with him? That’s fantastic.”

“Cameron, I know you’re upset about this, but he needs to talk with you about server issues. You know these things better than I do, can’t you just, put on a brave face and go out there for five minutes?”

“Donna.” Cameron turned to her, crossing her arms. “I don’t think you understand just how bad of terms Joe and I left on.”

“No, I know. You’ve told me. He seems to be willing to put that behind him…”

“Yeah, well, maybe I’m not.”

“What?”

“Maybe I don’t want to put that behind us, Donna. Maybe I don’t want to just cozy on up to Joe Mac-fucking-Millan and make small talk and pretend that it never happened.”

“What are you afraid of?”

“What?”

“What are you afraid of, Cameron? It’s not as if –“ She caught herself, pulling her words back into her mouth. “You’ve grown up. And so has he.”

“Donna, just last week you were treating me like an infant. But now because you want something I’m a grown up?”

“Stop it, I’m not that petty. I don’t like Joe any more than you do, okay? But the fact is, you know what you’re talking about. I don’t.”

“What if we don’t even talk about the server issues, Donna? What if we just start talking about the past and – I can’t do that. I can’t talk to him about that.”

“I’ll be there with you, Cameron. You don’t have to be alone.”

“I don’t know how to talk to him.”

“Then I’ll start. Just pretend like you don’t even know him. Besides, he…” Donna mustered up what she could, almost scrunching her nose at the idea, “He seems different.”

“Oh, yes, Joe Macmillan off on another adventure to take down a company from the ground up. So different.”

“He really is, Cameron. He’s engaged to-“

“He’s what?”

The air in the room suddenly seemed to evaporate. Donna stopped, and wished she could have caught those words and thrown them out the window. Cameron sank into a chair at the table.

“Donna- why didn’t you tell me this before?”

“I didn’t mean to, I didn’t think you needed to know –“

“Needed to know? Jesus Christ, Donna…”

Donna watched her stare at the oven, and took a deep breath.

“Oh, god. I didn’t think – but, you and Tom –“

“He’s not like Joe, Donna. He’s nice. But he’s not like Joe.”

“Maybe that’s a good thing.” Her voice was soothing as she went to sit down next to her, cautiously going to take her hand. To her surprise, Cameron didn’t pull away. “Tom cares about you.”

“What if I fuck this up too?” Cameron’s words were bitter, spitting venom over her shoulder. “I don’t know how to be around people, Donna. I say the wrong thing and I – I did something terrible.”

“No, no –“ Her voice grew soft and sweet, taking on a tone she realized in the back of her mind she used on her daughters after a nightmare. “You aren’t going to do that again. You’ll be fine –“

“But I still love him, Donna.” She shook her head, closing her eyes. “I can’t just stop that. I can’t just forget.”

“I know. It’s hard. But… you can do it.”

“No, I can’t.”

“Cameron, you can make it through these things, okay? You’re strong, and you’re smart – you can. And you’re going to have to. Somehow. We’ll figure it out.”

“We?”

“You don’t think I’m going to make you go it alone, do you?”

The blonde snorted, cracking a small smile.

“Geeze, what are you, somebody’s mother?”

Donna shared her smile before it started to fade, and then immediately forced herself back into it. There were enough secrets being shared right now, she didn’t need to add another one to the list.

“I didn’t think I’d have to go through talking about boyfriend drama so soon.”

Cameron shook her head, standing up and picking back up the basket.

“When do we have to do this?”

“Well… Gordon set us up to talk over lunch tomorrow.”

“Shit.”


End file.
